No, it won’t be in the basement.
The red-and-white souped-up Schwinn bicycle made famous in the 1985 film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” will soon have a new permanent home in what is arguably one of the unusual movie tie-ins in the history of celluloid.
The bike — which served as the MacGuffin in the Tim Burton-directed cult favorite — will be permanently displayed in the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum in San Antonio to mark the 40th anniversary of the movie’s theatrical release.
“We are thrilled to add this beloved piece of film history to our collection,” Dr. Kate Rogers, executive eirector of the Alamo Trust, Inc. told CBS affiliate KENS 5.
“The Alamo holds a special place in the hearts of people everywhere, and Pee-wee’s Big Adventure helped to introduce a new generation to the historic site. This artifact perfectly illustrates how the Alamo lives on in pop culture, and soon, visitors to Texas’ top tourist destination will be able to see it up close in our new world-class museum.”
In the hit movie, the theft of the titular character’s beloved bicycle sparks a madcap multi-state search, during which Pee-wee meets an unscrupulous fortune teller who feeds the desperate hero the misinformation that the stolen cruiser is in the basement of the Alamo.
After meeting a slate of oddball characters and having a wild series of misadventures — which finds Pee-wee keeping company with a felon on the run, ticking off a biker gang and hitching a ride with the ghost of a dead trucker named Large Marge — he arrives at the Alamo, only to learn it doesn’t even have a basement.
Since the release of the film, the bicycle has shared an inexorable connection with the famous fortress among fans and has become a widely recognizable piece of movie memorabilia.
The movie marked the major motion picture directorial debut of Tim Burton, as well as the first film scored by frequent collaborator Danny Elfman.
It was also the first starring vehicle for Pee-wee Herman, a childlike comedic character created and portrayed by actor Paul Reubens, who was a staple of stage and television throughout the 1980s..
Reubens died in 2023 at age 70 after a private battle with cancer.
With a production cost of just $7 million, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” grossed nearly $41 million ($119 million in 2025 dollars) and sparked a much-maligned and less-successful sequel, “Big Top Pee-wee” in 1988.
The Alamo itself excitedly trumpeted the news of the bike’s arrival, sharing on Facebook that it’ll be viewable to visitors later this year in a limited showing inside the Ralston Family Collection Center before it’s permanently placed in the fall of 2027.
“We’ll also be hosting a free public screening of the film in the newly reopened Plaza de Valero. Until then, don’t worry… the bike will be stored for safekeeping. Maybe in the basement!”
Pee-wee’s bike sold at auction to a private collector in May for $125,000 — after it was originally expected to fetch between $30,000 and $60,000, according to People.
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